My face heats. The thought leaves me…cold. There is only one male for me, but I don’t want him…not anymore.
It’s a great pity Sebastian is so broken. So damned stubborn too.
“Thank you, Terra. You have given me much to think about.”
“I look forward to hearing your answer.”
Then she’s gone, leaving me alone with the dying fire and my jumbled thoughts.
34
Sebastian
The female points at a large, rounded entrance.
“This is it.” She flicks a thick strand of blonde hair from her shoulder. “The Drakar is expecting you.” Then she turns and walks away.
I enter.
The space is cavernous and carved from rock. There is no throne. No raised dais. Massive bones arch overhead, forming the ribs of the ceiling. From their sheer size, I would say that they are dragon bones, bleached white by age.
In the center of the cavern, a large fire pit burns low, the flames contained within a ring of black stones. Around it, stone platforms covered in furs create something between seating and nesting areas.
A female rises from one of the fur-covered platforms.
She is taller than most fae females and built like a warrior. Her hair falls in a cascade of fiery red all the way to her waist, catching the firelight until it looks like actual flames. She wears a small piece of fur that only just covers her breasts and astrip of hide wrapped around her hips. Not uncommon for the shifterfae.
Her face is striking, with sharp cheekbones and large green eyes. She looks just like her brother Salvorne.
“Greetings, Shadowfae King, heir to the Shadow Court.” Her voice carries across the cavern; it’s rich and deep. She walks toward me with the easy grace of a predator. I find myself wondering if she, too, is a dragon. If I am not mistaken, all of the royals can shift into the great beasts. “May I call you Sebastian?” She stops a few paces away, her gaze moving over me.
“You may.” I incline my head a moment. “You must be Kilara, Salvorne’s sister. The Drakar in his absence.”
“Indeed. Welcome to my hall.”
“I appreciate your hospitality. For bringing my travel companion and me to safety…for saving us.”
Her mouth curves. “You speak of hospitality as though you are not sure whether to accept it.”
“I do, though admittedly under duress.”
“I appreciate your honesty. Sit. We have much to discuss, you and I.” She gestures to the platform of furs to her right.
I hesitate for just a moment before sitting. Kilara takes a seat across from me, the fire pit between us.
“I’ll be direct with you, Sebastian.” She leans forward, resting her forearms on her knees. “Our species have not always seen eye to eye. The shadowfae and the shifterfae have a complicated history. But in times of trouble, we need to set our differences aside. An enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Friend.
After all these summers and everything that has happened, the word sits wrong. I want to tell her that I will never be a friend to the fae species that orchestrated the murder of my parents. I want to throw her offer back in her face and demand to know what really happened. Ask why they did what they did.
But I hold my tongue.
I like her. She’s nothing like Salvorne, who is arrogant and conceited. She is still a shifterfae, so I must tread carefully.
I need allies. And I need information if I’m going to find the other Lost Kings and stand any chance against Snow. I cannot afford to make enemies of the only fae able to oppose her.
I need to play my cards right.
